Box-magazine bolt-action rifle.



T. C. JOHNSON.

BOX MAGAZINE BOLT ACTION RIFLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25.1919.

1,323,064. Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Flag. \3

T. C. JOHNSON.

BOX MAGAZINE BOLT ACTION RIFLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25.!9I9.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.-

v 31 awnw WV UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

BOX-MAGAZINE BOLT-ACTION RIFLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Application filed June 25, 1919. Serial No. 306,532.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Box- Magazine Bolt-Action Rifles; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,.and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

Figure 1 a broken view in side elevation of a rifle constructed in accordance with my invention.

' Fig. 2- a view thereof partly in elevation, and partly in transverse section on the line '22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 a broken view thereof partly in side elevation and partly'in vertical, longitudinal, central section.

Fig. a detached reverse plan view of the trigger-guard.

Fig. 5 a detached view" in side elevation of the magazine-holder with the magazinecatch removed.

Fig. '6 a reverse plan view thereof.

Fig. 7 a detached view in side elevation of the magazine-catch.

Fig. 8 a detached end view thereof, together with its operating-spring.

Fig. 9 a detached plan view of the cartridge platform.

Fig. F g. Fig.

accurate arm constructed with particular reference to the reduction to the minimum of the time and efl'ort required to interchange the magazines in the gun, and also to facilitate single-loading.

-With these ends in view, my invention consists in a gun having as an improved part, a selfcontained magazine-holder adapted to be attached as an independent unit to the receiver of the gun and to receive a selfcontained boxanagazine having its own follower and spring, whereby the gun-stock and receiver may be separated without disturbing the magazine-holder.

My invention further consists in a selfcontained magazine-holder adapted to be attached as an independent unit to the receiver of the gun and furnished with an offsetting housing containing a magazinecatch for the retention within the said holder of a self-contained box-magazine having its own follower and spring.

luy invention further consists in a boxmagazine bolt-action rifle provided in one of the side walls of the butt-stock with a magazine-release located forward of and above the plane of the finger-loop of the triggerguard.

My invention further consists in a boxmagazine bolt-action rifle formed in the lower face of its stock with one or more finger-notches to permit the lower end of the boxmagazine to be seized by the fingers for withdrawing it from the gun.

My invention further consists in a boxmagazine gun having a magazine-release 10-,

cated in the side of the butt-stock at a point forward of, and above the plane of the finger-loop of the trigger-guard and the said butt-stock having finger-notches lo cated in its lower face at a point close to the said magazine-release for permitting the magazine to be seized by the fingers and withdrawn.

My invention further consists in a boxmagazine gun having the forward tang of its trigger-guard bodily upcurved and formed with a magazine-0pening to permit the projecting lower end of the box-magazine to be seized by the fingers and withdrawn.

My invention further consists in a fixed cartridge-platform having an opening to receive the upper end ofthe box-magazine and provide a horizontal floor flush with the upper end of the same- My invention further consists in a box magazine bolt-action rifle having certain details of construction and combinations a pivot 9 and is controlled by a small helical spring 10 the inner end of which-is set into a recess 11'formed in the outer Wall of the upper end'of the said catch. lhe respective ties 3 and 4 are formed with alined per'forated lugs 12 and 13 receiving screws 1d and 15 which pass upwardly through them and into threaded screw-holes in the lower wall of the bore 16 of the receiver 17. As thus constructed and applied, the magazineholder constitutes .an independent unit adapted as such'to be applied to and removed froni'the receiver without reference to any other part of the arm. Underordinary-circumstances, it will be applied to the receiver when the gun is assembled and not thereafter removed, but when removed, should occasion require, it will be removed as a unit. a The plates 5 and 6 above re ferred to are secured to the ties 3 and 4 by means of vtransverse rivets 18 as clearly shown inFig. 5. thus constructed, contains a vertical magazine passageway 19which is given a down ward and forward curvature by curving the rear wall 21' of the front tie '3 and the forward wall20 of the rear tie 4, these curved walls" being struck on a; center located on a line extended from the bottom of the cartridge-chamber 22 of the gun-barrel 23.

The upper end of the passageway 19 of the above described magazine-holder registers with an oblong opening in the bottom wall of the bore 16 of the receiver 17, while the lower end of the passageway 19 registers with a corresponding magazine-opening 25 formed in the bodily upcurved portion 26 of the forward tang 27 of the strap-like trigger-guard which also comprises a finger loop 28,'and a short rearwardly extending tang 29, the guard being held in place by screws 30 passing upward through it into the butt-stock31 as clearly shown in Fig. 3. A heavy screw 30 passes upward through the extreme forward end of the forward tang 17 of the trigger-guard, through the butt-stock 31 and into the forward end of the receiver 17 whereby the receiver and butt-stock are attached together. For separating these'two major components of the gun it is only necessary to remove the said screw 30. 'By making the magazine-holder 1i asanindependentunit and attaching it as such to the receiver,- no part of the trigger- The magazine-holder as r "through the opening 25 in the bow 26, the magazine is provided near the upper end of its right hand wall with an outwardly struck retaining-lug 33 the lower edge of which is engaged by the upper face of the magazinecatch v8 at the point 34L thereon, as seen in Figs; 2 and 8. When it is desired to remove the magazine from the gun, the catch.

8 is disengaged from the magazine by means of a magazine-release 35 consisting of a short plunger mounted in a threaded bushing 36 screwed into a transverse opening 37 formed in the right hand side wall of the stock 3l at a'point forward of, and considerably above the plane of the finger-loop 38 of the finger-guard. As shown, the magazine-release 35 is provided at its inner end with a flange or shoulder 40 which engages with the inner end of the bushing 36 and limits the outward movement of the 'maga zine-release. By reference toFig. 12 it will be noticed that a concentric recess 41 formed in the right hand wall of the stock 31, enables the magazine-release to be located flush with the surface of the stock, the aim being to have the exterior of the stock present asmooth surface to the hand. WVhen the release 35 is manually pressed inward, it even comes the tension of the/spring 10,and I rocksthe magazine-catch so as to disengage the same from the lug 33 of the box-magazine 32 and permit the same to be removed from the gu The magazine 32.is of such a length that H when it is introduced into the gun,as shown in Fig. 2, its lower end projects clownwardly through the openin 25 in the how 26 of the tang 27 but not elow the lower face of the gun stock 31 with which its extreme'lower end is flush, as shownin Fig; 2, so that the flow lines of the stock are not interrupted but the lower surface of the stock left smooth to the hand. To permit the projecting lower end of the magazine to be seized by the fingers for forcibly pulling it' out. of the gun in case it does not drop therefrom by gravity when the'plunger 35 is pressed inward, I form one or more seglower end of the magazine. As

' shown, and preferably, Iemploy two of -these notches and locate them directly oppositeeach other as clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 12.

a The magazine release and the bow 26 i and notches 43 are located so close together,

. as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 12, that the user of the rifle. may grasp the magazine for pulling it away from the gun and push with his thumb and pull with his forefinger almost simultaneously in case the magazine does not respond instantaneously to the releasing action of the magazine-release 35.

In order to reduce the friction incident to the insertion and removal of the magazine, thecurved rearward and forward walls 20 and 21 formed within the magazine-holder for confining and guiding the magazine, have their edgescut away to form clearancegrooves 44 resulting in the production of relativelynarrow bearings 45 for the maga- 1 zine to ride upon, as shown in Fig. 6.

When in position in'the gun, the upper end of the box-magazine32 rises, as "described, through the oblong opening 24 in the lower wall of the cylindrical bore or boltchamber 16 of the receiver 17, which, ,as shown, is formed at the forward end of the said bore with a wide transverse loading and ejection opening 46 which provides for the ejection of the spent cartridge as well as r for the manual loading ofsingle cartridges into the chamber 22 in the barrel 23. To

fill the spaces created between the side, rear rises, but above which it does not project, as

clearly shown-in Fig. 2,which also shows that theflat upper face of the platform 17 isin the plane of the walls 49 of the receiver as produced by. transversely cutting it away to formthe loading and ejection opening 46. The upper face of the platform 17 and the horizontal walls 49 form, as it were, a horizontal flooring for the bottom of the opening 46, providing a convenient surface on which to manipulate the cartridges when manually insertin them singly into the chamber 22, there ing no projecting edges of the magazine to come in contact with the finger and thumb which are thus provided with smooth surfaces'to work. upon. This flat floor prevents the thumb and finger from being cut in case the user of the arm wishes to load one or more cartridges into the magazine itself by forcing them downward thereinto throu h the top of the n. The cartridge:- tform 471s held in p cebythe screw 15, also employed to secure the magazine-holder in place in the receiver,as clearly shown in Fig. 3. It is not essential that the upper surface of the platform 47 shall exactly register with the walls 49 of the loading and ejecting opening 46, but they should be substantially on the same level. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 4, that the oblong box-magazine opening 25 in the clearance bow 26 of the tang 27 of'the trigger-guard, is formed at the rear end of its right hand wall with an offset 25 which is provided for the clearance ofthe magazineretaining lug 33 of the'magazine 32 as the same is inserted into and removed from the gun. The right hand wall 5 of the magazine-holder is formed with a passage 50 leading to the housing 7 for the clearance of the lug 33 of the magazine, :while the lower edge of the left hand wall 6 of the holder is cut away as at51 (Fig. 5) to perinit theprojecting lower end of the magazine t0 beseized by the fingers for pulling it out of the gun. I I

In the foregoing description, I have used the term self-contained magazine-holder in the sense of a unitary structure not com? prising any other part of the gun and independent'ofany other part of the gun in its function, i. 0., it excludes every other part of the gun andevery other function of the gun than that ofholding or receiving a true' box-magazine. The term .box-maga zine I have used in the sense of a self-contained box-magazineadapted to receivea charge of cartridges and comprising a fol-. lower and follower-spring as distinguished from a sheet-metal cartridge-clip or charger which contains neither follower nor follower-spring and, therefore, is dependent upon an extraneous follower and followerspring forming permanent features of, the gun system.

I'claim:' g 1. A box-magazine bolt-action rifle having a receiver, a butt-stock, anda self-contained magazine-holder adapted to be applied as an independent unit to the receiver, whereby the receiver and butt-stock may be separated without disturbing such holder.

2. A box-magazine bolt-action rifle having a self-contained magazine-holder adapted to be introduced into and removed from the gun as a unitary structure and furnished with a laterally offsetting housing contain'- ing a magazine-catch.

3. A box-magazine bolt-action rifle having a receiver, a butt-stock and a self-contained magazine'holder adapted to be attached as an independent unit to the receiver to permit the receiver and butt-stock to be separated without disturbing the said holder and the said holder being furnished with a laterally offsetting housing containing a 'magazine-catch'for; the retention within the holder of a self-contained box magazine having its own spring and follower.

side by clearance grooves which clear the front and rear edges-of the side wallsof the inserted boxy-magazine."

'5.' A self-contained magazine-holder adapted to be inserted into and removed from a "gun as a unitary structure and comprising side platcs'and end ties, one of the said side plates being shaped to'forma laterally offsetting housing for thereception of a pivotal magazine-catch;

6. A box-magazine bolt-action rifle having a receiver,'a butt-stock, and a self-contained magazine holder adapted to be attached to the receiver ,asanindependent unit to permit' the receiver andbuttstock' to be separated without disturbing the said holder which comprises side plates and end ties,

the upperends of the latter forming fasten ings by means of which theholder is secured to'the receiver as an'independent unit.

. 7 .QA self-contained magazine-holder adapted to be introduced'into and removed from a gun as afunitary structure'and provided upon its right hand sidewall with an offsetting housing containing a magazine-catch V and furnished with a passage leading into the said housing.

8. A box-magazine bolt-action rifle having a receiver, a butt-stock, and a self contained magazine-holder adapted to-be attached as an independent unit to the receiver to permit the separation of the receiver andbutte stock without disturbing such holder, and;

the said, holder comprising side walls and end ties, one of the side walls being'shaped I to form a laterally offsetting housing for the reception of a'magazine-catch and the other sidewall being formed with a finger-clear ance cut and the said end ties being shaped to form a curved magazine passage-way and having their upper ends adapted for the attachment of the holder to the receiver to provide for its attachment thereto and removal therefrom as an independent unit:

' 9. A box-magazine bolt-action rifle having a strap-like trigger-guard the forward tang of which is bodily upcurved to form an upwardly extending clearancebow having a box-magazine opening. a

10. A box-magazine bolt-action rifle having the lower faceof its stock formed with a finger-notch and havingthe forward tang of itsv strap-like trigger-guard bodily upcurved v to form an upwardly extending clearance-bow containing a box-magazine opening and registering with the said notch in the stock to permit the projectingilower' end of the box-magazine to be grasped for itsremoval.

a '70 11. A box-magazine bolt-actioniifle having the lower; face of its stock cutaway .to

form two finger-notches located opposite each other, and a strap-like "trigger-guard secured to the said stock and having itsforward end bodily upcurved to'forman upwardly extending clearance-bow registering with the said notchesand formed with a box-magazine opening." 12. In a boxemagazine bolt-action rifle, the-combination with a gun-stockformed in its lower face with a finger-notch, of a straplike 1 trigger-guard the forward tang of which is bodily upcurved to .form an upwardly extending clearance-bow]registers ing Withthe said notch and containing a boxmagazinef opening, 2 'a box-magazine adapted to beintroduced '7 into the gun through the, said opening, and a magazinerelease for holding the magazlnezin-place and for releasing the-same, the said release being located close to the said clearance notch and how-to permit the release to be simultaneously operated with the use. ofthe finger-notchand clearance-bow; V v

"'13, A box-magazine bolt-action rifle have ing its receiver formed with a bolt-chamber and with a transverse ejection and loading 7 opening, intersecting the forward thereof, a box-magazine rising into the-said chamber when in positlon .1n the gun, and

end" c a fixed cartridge-platform having an'openv ing for the reception ofthe upper end of i the magazine and'located in the bottom of the forward end ofthe bolt-'chamberw to form a horizontal platform substantially flush with the upper end of theimagazin'e'.

14. In a-box-magazine bolt-action rifle,

the combination: with 'a receiver having fa cylindrical bolt-chamber and a transverse 'fejection and loading opening intersecting; the forward end thereofandhaving hori-" zontal lower walls, of a-box-magazine rising into the said bolt-chamber,;and a cartridgef p platform having'anop ening for the reception of the upper end of the magazine, and a rounded lower face to fit the said boltchamber, the top of the platform being substantially flush with thehorizontal walls of the ejecting and loading opening".

15. In a box-magazinebolteaction cylindrical bolt-chamber and "a transverse ejecting and loading opening intersecting the forward end thereof, of aself-contained magazine-holder adapted to beintroduced into and removed from the'guna's anunitary structure andfastened to the: lower face of the receiver,-ra trigger-guard having its forward tang formed: with an open ng ,for'the firearm, the comblnationfl with a recelver having a passage of the magazine, and a cartridge I In testimony whereof I have signed this platform fitted into the forward end of the specification in the presence of two subscribbolt-chzunber, having an opening for the reing Witnesses. ception of the upper end of the boX-maga- THOMAS C. JOHNSON.

5 zine and forming a horizontal floor flush Vitnesses:

with the upper end of the magazine for the HARRY L. CROGKETT, manipulation of single cartridges thereupon. DANIEL H. VEADER. 

